Light responsive amusement device



2,896,085 LIGHT RESPONSIVE AMUSEMENT navice-`v Jacob J. Hagopan, Santa Clara County, Calif. Application January 17, 1956, Serial No. 559,724 2 Claims. (Cl. Z50-78) This invention relates to amusement devices, and more particularly has to do with a game of the type which utilizes cards having a word or words written thereon by means of a marking material that becomes visible only when the cards are inserted in a viewing box and exposed to a ilight of a frequency dilerent from ordinary light, for example, ultra-violet light.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved viewing box particularly adapted to efficiently direct light onto a card inserted in a light-tight viewing box.

Another object of the invention is` to provide an amusement device that is extremely simple in construction and economical to manufacture.

Other and further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation, with parts broken away, of an amusement device constructed in accordance with the teaching of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a front elevation of the device of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a plan view of the device of Fig. 1.

Figure 4 is a perspective of a second embodiment of the device of the present invention.

Figure 5 is a front elevation, partly broken away, of a third embodiment of the device of the present invention.

The present application concerns a device similar to the device disclosed in my copending application, Serial Number 523,953, iiled July 25, 1955. As disclosed in said copending application, the invention contemplates the preparation of cards, sheets, and the like using ordinary paints, inks, chalks, crayons, etc. to write a question of an educational nature on the portion of each card and the supplying of an answer to the question marked on another portion of the same card or sheet, using one of the fluorescent or phosphorescent materials, so that upon placing the card into a viewing box or receptacle having a source of ultra-violet light, the answer, which is normally invisible, becomes visible. The invisible marking may be made by means of either a uorescent or a phosphorescent material that is normally colorless or that is the same color as the background color off the card or sheet. Similarly, cards having visible pictures or maps and invisible identifications, and other variations of the cards may be used.

In Figures 1, 2 and 3, an improved arrangement of the game of the present invention is illustrated. The reference numeral indicates a light-tight box having a rigid base 14 which may be made of wood, plastic or a similar rigid material and may be square, round, or of any suitable configuration in horizontal cross-section. A hood 16 is mounted on the base 14. The hood is of generally cylindrical conguration and has an upper end portion 16a closed by a cover 18 that may be integrally formed with the body of the cylinder, or may be secured thereto in any conventional manner. At its lower end, the cyl- United 1States Patent .f

2,896,085 Patented July 21,

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2 inder has a segmental cylindrical portion 1611 tightly disposed in a slot 18 (Fig. 3) in the base 14.

The lower segmental cylindrical portion 16b cooperates with the base 14 and the upper cylindrical portion 16a of the hood to dene a viewing port 20. A game card 22 may be inserted into the hood 16 through the port 20, and may be positioned on the upper surface lof the base 14 with the invisible picture or question disposed directly under a lamp 24 that is suspended from a bracket 26 secured in depending relation from the cover 18 of the hood 16. The lamp 24 is disposed on the axis of the cylindrical hood and is arranged to direct its light beams downwardly onto the card.

As indicated by the dot-dash line 28, the contestant may see the portion of the card under the lamp by looking downwardly and inwardly along the line 28. Accordingly, when the invisible writing becomes visible under the action of the beam' from the lamp, the correctness of the contestants guess can be determined.

A feature of this invention is the proportioning of the viewing port 20 in such a manner that, not only can the invisible writing be easily seen, but also the lamp may be inserted into the hood through the port.

In Figure 4 a second embodiment of the light-tight viewing box is illustrated. The embodiment 34 comprises a cylindrical hood 36 having its lower end tightly disposed in a slot in a rigid base 38. A cut out portion 40 in the hood 36 provides a viewing port through which a game card may be inserted into the hood 36. A cover 44 extends across the top of the open upper end of the hood. AA filter 46 is disposed across an opening 48 in the cover 44 so that, when an ultra-violet light source is placed above the filter 46 exteriorly of the box 34, the filtered light beam will fall on the portion of the card aligned with the axis of the cylindrical hood. The ultraviolet light source may be a common sun lamp or the box may be placed so that natural sunlight enters through the filter 46.

It will be evident that a filter, such as the filter 46 of Figure 4 may be used with the viewing box 10 of Fig. 1 if desired. In such an arrangement, the lilter would preferably be mounted directly under the lamp 24 to extend entirely across the hood 16, as indicated by the numeral 50 in Fig. 5.

Also, while the bracket 26 of Fig. l is a preferred embodiment, a similar bracket secured to the side wall of the hood 16 may be used. It is only necessary that the beam of light `from a bulb mounted on the bracket be directed downwardly onto the card. A wall bracket 52 is shown in Fig. 5.

While the hoods 16 and 36 are described as being cylindrical, it may be necessary for manufacturing purposes to provide a slight taper to the hood. Accordingly, when the term cylindrical is used in the following claims, it is intended to include all generally cylindrical forms of the hood.

While the specification and drawings, by way of illustration, have shown certain preferred embodiments of the invention, the scope of the invention is in no way intended to be limited thereby except as set forth in the accompanying claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In an amusement device of the type in which'a card is inserted in a viewing box, a viewing box comprising a base, a hood formed symmetrically about an axis and mounted on the upper surface of said base and having a Ilower wall portion cooperating with the base to define an access and Viewing opening, a top wall extending across the upper end of said hood, and a lamp mounted in depending relation from said top wall and disposed substantially on the axis of said hood and adapted to direct ultra-violet light onto said base, said access and viewing opening having a width suicie'nt tol receive a card presented thereto in a horizontal position and having a height suicient to permit a card disposed on said base having a lower edge portion disposed in spaced relation to said base to dene a viewing port through which a it) card may be passed.

References 'cited in the me -of UNITED STATES PATENTS this patent Levison Jan. 2S, Shayes et al Mar. 8, Peck et al. Oct. l5, Ferris Dec. 29, Hermann Nov. 23, Hills Oct. 25,

Kantrowitz et al Ian 

